DEALING WITH THE  JEZEBELS

Revelation 2:18-29

Time really flies! I find it hard to believe that today we’re going to be looking at the fourth of the seven churches in Revelation. It seems like only last week we began this series and now here we are more than half ways through.

Today as we continue we’re going to look at the Church of Thyatira. I wish these names weren’t so hard to pronounce.

Turn with me to Revelation 2 today we’re going to be looking at Verses 18-29.  Tom read these verses earlier in our service. I hope your finding these messages useful.

My prayer is that as we go through this series God would speak to each of us and that we would be able to apply what God has to say to our own lives. So with that in mind let’s get started.

What does God have to say to this church? Well He begins on a good note. He commends these believers for their good deeds. I believe they had a lot in common with the church of Ephesus. Many of these believers were very involved in doing worthwhile things in the community, working on different committees, giving volunteer time to charitable organizations etc.

These were good people and God commends them for their good works.

So what wrong what’s the problem with this church? What does God have to say to these people? Verse 20 tells us about a woman named Jezebel. She was a very powerful woman. A prominent member in the community, she had quite a lot of power and influence.

She may have been a politician; she could have been the Mayor who knows?  We do know however that she was well know in the community and respected as well. And she ended up becoming a leader in the church.. We don’t know what her position was or how she came to obtain so much power but one thing we do know is that she was a very wicked and evil person.

I’m not sure if Jezebel really was her name or if this name was used because of her similarities to the Jezebel in the Old Testament.

In the Old Testament, Jezebel was a Phoenician Princess who married one of Israel’s Kings. But she refused to accept the Israelites faith in God and insisted in worshipping Baal. Last week if you recall I explained a little about who Baal was.

The Old Testament Jezebel had encouraged the Israelites to worship her false god and practice his immoral ways. If you want to read about this later you can find it in I Kings 19-20 and II Kings 9.

The Jezebel here is very similar in her methods; she too is trying to sway the believers in the Church to her way of thinking. And her plan seems to be working very well.

And somehow she managed to slip into the church; I don’t believe for a moment that she just walked in and took over, I’m sure she was very subtle in her approach. No doubt she was a very smart lady and had a lot of talents she could use within the church.

It’s so easy for that to happen. We have to be very careful. I remember in one of my previous appointments there was a young man who had been attending the church. He seemed to be a decent person. He had a very good personality a very moral living young man. After he had been attending for a while he approached me and expressed an interest in teaching a Sunday school class. We got together and chatted. I asked him what his beliefs were in regard to Jesus Christ. I found out that he was a new ager. I thank God that I didn’t just jump at the opportunity of having a new Sunday school teacher. We have to be careful.

And this woman Jezebel had probably given the impression that she was a very godly person. She appeared to be fine on the outside. But what she was really like was another story. I’ve seen this happen so many times in different churches. There’s a desperate need for leaders and out of desperation the first person who comes along with any sign at all of potential is taken in just to fill the vacancy.

I believe that’s what happened here and as soon as she had gotten her foot in the door and gained the respect of the people in the congregation her true colors slowly began to show.

She was a very immoral person and as she gained popularity within the church she began to teach her false doctrines. Some of the believers were able to see through her false front but the majority had allowed themselves to be dragged down.

The Church had allowed itself to be corrupted. And instead of taking action and removing her from leadership in the church they had closed their eyes to the problem.

How sad! Most of these people had overlooked her evil ways and even went along with them, perhaps because they felt they couldn’t afford to loose her great gifts.

Many churches today have followed that very same route, they’ve allowed themselves to be brainwashed and corrupted. They’ve allowed Satan to take control without even realizing what they were doing.

We have to be very careful. It’s so easy for things to get out of hands. We need to keep our standards high. We have to remain firm in our beliefs, there’s no room for compromise.

We live in very trying times; our world is not the same as it was 10 years ago. It seems as if every day we’re faced with a whole new set of problems. Moral standards are falling apart all around us. Many people have turned away from God.

As Christians we need to be strong. We need to grow in our faith. Our standards must remain high. I believe we need another revival, a great spiritual awakening. Our society needs to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

Without even realizing it these believers had become no different that their Pagan neighbors. They had allowed themselves to be corrupted by this woman. And as a result they were doing all the same things, going to all the same places taking part in all the same activities, and using the same foul language as everyone else.

You see these people had lost sight of God, they had let down their guard, and the result was disaster. They had lost their effectiveness.

As Christians it’s important that we hold our standards high, people have to see a difference in us. If we’re going to attract others to Christ our light needs to shine brightly. There has to be a difference.

When we sincerely accept Christ there’s going to be a change in us, if there isn’t then obviously there’s something wrong. We may look the same on the outside but on the inside there’s a change. What we say and do are not the same. Our attitude changes our desires are change.

As Christians our greatest desire should be to be like Jesus. The word Christian means Christ like. And that makes Satan angry, he doesn’t want that.

Satan used Jezebel to destroy these believers. He wanted this church to fold. He used Jezebel to turn these people from Jesus. He wanted to change their attitude, to cause havoc. He was successful. And that’s what he wants to do here.

Satan’s always been liar and we see him here at his very best. He deceived the church he fooled them with his lies. And even today he continues to deceive many with his lies.

There’s a lot out there that looks good at first that is until we get caught in the trap then we realize the truth but sometimes we don’t realize until it’s too late. That’s scary!

This morning we need to examine our hearts, we need to take a good look at our lives. How do we measure up? There are a lot of Jezebels in our world today. We don’t always recognize them at first and we allow them to come in. And when they do they take control.

Is there a Jezebel in your life today? Why don’t you ask God to show you? He will if you let him. But don’t despair, there’s always hope if you turn to Jesus, because He will make the necessary changes and restore you to a right relationship with him.

Today God is asking each of us to hold on to our faith. He’s telling us to be careful, to proceed with caution. That’s what he was saying to this Church over 2000 years ago. And He’s giving us the very same message today. God’s word never changes.

So let’s get serious about Jesus, let’s read our Bibles, and spend time in prayer. Let’s allow God to prepare us so that when the deceivers come our way we will recognize them for who they really are.

Then we will experience the hope expressed in Revelation 3:11 “I am coming soon! Hold tightly to the little strength you have, so that no one may take away your crown.” What is the Holy Spirit saying to you?